Philly 250 is not over yet!
On September 3, the City launched Philly 250: Celebrating Our Past, Building Our Future at Thomas Paine Plaza. The launch featured a historic photo exhibit celebrating the public servants who came before us and helped build the City we know today.
The project is a partnership between the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Department of Records, Creative Philadelphia, and Department of Public Property. Together, these departments created a photo display in spaces throughout the City’s Triplex buildings.
The exhibit gives City employees a chance to connect with Philadelphia’s history and learn more about the people who served the City before them.
The People Behind the City
The exhibit launched ahead of Labor Day, a holiday that celebrates workers across the country. It was also an opportunity to recognize the thousands of City employees who serve Philadelphia every day.
City leaders attended the launch, including Deputy Mayor Tiffany Thurman. She highlighted the importance of celebrating the people who keep Philadelphia running and recognizing the work of public servants, both past and present.
The exhibit goes beyond Labor Day. It features photos of municipal workers from 1891 to 1968. These workers helped build the departments, services, and systems that Philadelphia still relies on today.
The photos will be displayed in City buildings and departments throughout 2026, giving employees a chance to see Philadelphia’s history where they work.
Bringing the Past to Life
The Philadelphia City Archives, part of the Department of Records, provided the photos for the exhibit.
The photos show City workers in many different roles, including firefighters, stenographers, mounted police officers, city solicitors, and many others. Together, they tell the story of the people who helped keep Philadelphia running more than 100 years ago.
Records Commissioner James L. Leonard, Esq. said the photos and other records in the City Archives help us understand the people behind Philadelphia’s history. They show that the City was built and served by real people, one day and one shift at a time.
Today, the Department of Records is working to make sure those stories are not lost. The department is digitizing millions of records so they can be preserved for future generations. That work also helps document the people who serve Philadelphia today.
The Philadelphia City Archives holds about 2 million photographs, along with many other records about Philadelphia’s government and history. Many of these records can be viewed online at www.phillyhistory.org.
The Philly 250 exhibit brings just a small part of that collection to life.
Keeping Philly’s History Alive
You can find photos from the exhibit in City departments and buildings across Philadelphia. Photos are also displayed on the elevator doors at City Hall and the One Parkway Building (OPB), as well as inside the elevators at the Municipal Services Building (MSB).
Next time you’re passing by, take a closer look! You never know what you might learn from the history around you, even in the elevator!
